GRiSO struggling to start

Hello everyone!

I posted a question here earlier this week regarding a suspicion that my battery was operating at a higher-than-normal temperature and promptly tested it (not sure why I did not do this in the first place) and found that the battery was not exceptionally warm. I still can't account for where the heat is coming from, and the sheepskin seat cover that I purchased a few months back has not helped in alleviating the discomfort. But this is a much smaller issue than what I'm posting here about.

On several occasions now my GRiSO - with a fully charged battery - will simply not start. This happened to me again yesterday, after a 30 minute ride that should have more than adequately fully charged the battery I go to start and I hear a single audible 'click' and then the dash goes black, a few seconds later the computer acts as though I had disconnected the battery and re-connected it. And each subsequent attempt to start I only hear the same 'click'.

The battery is almost brand new - 3 months old and no more than 1000 miles on it. It's not drawing a charge when the bike is off, there's nothing connected that could be doing it. The bike's onboard voltmeter reads anywhere from 12V to 13V when starting after a few days of no riding and not charging the battery.

I'm inclined to this its possibly an issue with the starter or computer. The issue did temporarily go away when I replaced the battery and it was literally brand-new 3 months ago, but it has crept back and is making me think that possibly the battery is bad, as I had the same issue before and it was the same battery model. (https://www.batteriesplus.com/productdetails/cyla20chbsxta). Maybe this model battery is just rotten.

It's incredibly frustrating to ride somewhere, expecting the battery to be charged upon arrival and then I go to leave my destination and the bike either takes several attempts to start or it just "clicks" and I am stuck. The only way I have found to reliably fix it is if I disconnect the battery terminals and re-connect, which forces the computer to restart and usually works. I've taken to bringing a screwdriver with me wherever I go, but I can't keep doing it.

As always, thank you guys in advance. The advice and knowledge on here is incredible.

There is a tool that measures battery power under load. It is designed to be attached temporarily to both terminals of your battery. Because of your electronics this can only be done by complete disconnect from the bike. I had a cell short out at the gas pump. Shut it off (the car) and would not even click after thevfill up. Dead cell. THAT QUICK. Replaced battery and back to daily commuter. This amperage tester is not measuring voltage. What I also noticed on my 2012 8v is the grounding cable mounted to a raised stud to the gearbox. Anyone who knows why please tell the rest of us. All my Loops (3) and T3s have a heavier gauge ground that grounds the battery through the mounting bolt of the starter motor.

If the dash is blanking out after the 'Click' and then rebooting a second or two later it's because there is a huge voltage drop when the starter begins to draw current. This is usually down to poor connections to the battery or the earth point where the earth cable mounts under the starter motor cover.

Clean up the cable ends where they connect to the battery with wet and dry abrasive paper, the earth strap fitting at the starter too. And refit them with a smear of Vaseline or similar protectant. As suggested go to a workshop and get your battery load tested. Just because it's new doesn't mean it's good.

Finally, do a search here on 'Startus Interuptus', although in your case I don't think this is the issue.

Can confirm there is a voltage drop after starting - the dash voltmeter typically shows it going from ~12V down to 8, sometimes lower.

I'll do as you suggested with double checking the connection and refitting with vaseline.

I assume by 'earth cable' you mean the 'ground'. I pulled the starter cover but can't for the life of me find the ground cable you are referring to - where exactly should I be looking. I've looked over the GRiSO manual I have and it's not helping too much and the electrical diagram is a nightmare to parse.

The cover is held on by two screws. The top one threads into a 13mm hexagonal *Thingy* which itself screws into the gearbox casting. In between the *Thingy* and the case there should be two eyelets with cables attached. The thicker of the two is the main earth/ground strap that goes up to the battery negative terminal.

Note that the threaded portion of the *Thingy* is a tiny, poxy, 5mm thread so don't over tighten it but it's a good idea to clean the paint off the gearbox where the earth strap connects and, once again, apply a bit of Vaseline or terminal protectant to the eyelets and *Thingy* to ensure a decent contact.

Sigh.


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Thanks Mark.

Thank you both for the help!

I was able to locate those ground lines, looks like the last owner worked on the grounds at one point cause they and the hex piece you mentioned were all wrapped in electrical tape and hidden.

Lubricated all the connections per your advice. Bike started right up. Gonna have to wait a few days to see if it's a permanent solution or not. Otherwise going to stop by the battery shop and have them test it.

For what it's worth, it started right up but the voltage reader again dropped from 12V down to 6 or 7V while starting up. Is that common for startup or should the battery not be dropping below some voltage threshold?

Thank you again guys.

Battery volts do drop, substantially, but I wouldn't trust the voltage display on the dash. It's not exactly a precision instrument.

In my humble volition there is no need to risk this fragile "thingie" it is fine threaded into transmission case and if you strip those threads it looks to me to be a gearbox (transmission) removal and end case opening. I put a 4 gauge auto ground strap that is also longer then MG. It runs to the starter mounting bolt 13mm hex wrench and much more contact area to mounting flange plus into the starter motor.

Nah. Drill and helicoil, no biggie. Best to avoid it by being careful though. If you want to relocate the earth strap a bell housing stud is a good place.